Outdoors notebook

South Florida anglers are encouraged to attend a public meeting Nov. 10 in Key Largo on proposals to shut down snapper and grouper fishing in South Atlantic federal waters indefinitely between Charleston, S.C., and Cape Canaveral. The South Atlantic Fishery Management Council has asked the Secretary of Commerce to close the red snapper fishery for six months while it comes up with permanent measures to rebuild overfished stocks. One possible option is a large area closure to all snapper-grouper fishing in order to prevent bycatch of red snapper. The only South Florida meeting will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Key Largo Grande, 97000 Overseas Highway. The deadline for public comment is Nov. 25. For more information,visit www.safmc.net.

NOAA Fisheries supports a proposal to ban international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna. Both NOAA and the Deptartment of the Interior issued statements calling for the highly prized pelagic species to be listed under the Convention for the International Trade

Anglers like to face more restrictions on snapper, grouper fishing

Fishing for snapper and grouper along both the east and west coasts of Florida is about to fall under a lot more restrictions and controversy.

The Secretary of Commerce has approved a 180-day closure of Atlantic federal waters off Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina to all recreational and commercial harvest of red snapper. The restriction is intended to shore up sagging stocks until the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council comes up with a long-term rebuilding plan. The order will be in effect from Jan. 4 until June 2 and could be extended for a longer period. The Recreational Fishing Alliance has filed suit in federal court in Jacksonville to try to stop the closure.

In an even heavier blow to bottom fishers, the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council voted Friday to ask the Secretary to close the entire South Atlantic coast to fishing for several deepwater grouper and snapper species out from a depth of 240 feet. If Commerce approves, fishing for Warsaw; snowy; yellowedge

New laws will cripple fishing industry

Cammy Clark's Dec. 27 article, Ban could have `devastating' effect is only a precursor of what is to come. It all spells disaster for the for-hire and party-boat fishing industry in the South Atlantic.

Enormous closures on bottom fishing slated for 2010 and 2011 essentially will close all bottom fishing for snapper, grouper and a myriad of other species in the federal and state waters of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

If this is fisheries management based on sound science, then we have failed. What it really reflects is crisis management by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the regional fishery-management councils to cover for almost three decades of management schemes that accomplished little in their complexity to regulate and preserve an important natural resource.

Outdoors notebook

Grouper and snapper closures, revamped hunting seasons, and general and fisheries management plans for Biscayne National Park are on the agenda of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission meeting Wednesday through Friday at Howey-in-the-Hills in north central Florida.

Commissioners are expected to consider whether to go along with adjacent federal closures for shallow-water grouper and vermilion snapper in state waters in the Atlantic -- possibly exempting red and black grouper from a Jan. 1-April 30 recreational closed season enacted by the feds.

The commission also is scheduled to discuss the pending general and fisheries management plans guiding Biscayne National Park over the next 15 to 20 years. Some of the alternatives for the fisheries plan include substantial restrictions on recreational and commercial fishing. In the general management plan, park officials are contemplating marine protected areas, or no-fishing zones.

Grouper, snapper closures among topics covered at meeting

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission tackled some issues important to South Floridians -- hunting seasons; grouper and snapper closures; shark rules; and management plans for Big Cypress National Preserve and Biscayne National Park -- at its meeting last week at Howey-in-the-Hills. Here's an overview:

GROUPER AND SNAPPER

Commissioners gave preliminary approval to a four-month closure to commercial and recreational fishing for 11 species of shallow-water grouper in Atlantic state waters to keep consistent with new rules for adjacent federal waters. If the measure receives final approval at the commission meeting in December, then all fishing for gag; black; red; scamp; red hind; rock hind; coney; graysby; yellowfin; yellowmouth; and tiger grouper will be shut down on Florida's Atlantic coast during the predominant spawning period of January through April.